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Morals of Fasting
Author : His Grace Shiekh Abdulkareem Al-Khasawneh
Date Added : 10-04-2022

Morals of Fasting 

 

Almighty Allah made fasting an obligation and fasting the month of Ramadan as one of the five great pillars of Islam. He, The Almighty Says (What means): "O you who believe, the fasts have been enjoined upon you as they were enjoined upon those before you, so that you may be God-fearing,"[Al-Baqarah/183].

Undoubtedly, there is a great wisdom, in this life or the next, behind every act of worship prescribed by Almighty Allah. Thus, one of the sublimest impacts for the acts worship is purifying self and elevating it to embrace the highest of ethics whereby an adherent Muslim becomes the noblest in character and this can be noticed in every Islamic ritual and pillar. Eventually, this produces a positive relationship between religion and life; body and soul; this worldly life and the Hereafter as well as society and the individual.

The greatness of fasting following the command of Allah crystalizes through its effects on the self and soul of the fasting Muslim and his/her societal attitude, in addition to realizing the objective stated in the Glorious Quran (so that you may be God-fearing). God-fearing encompasses all meanings of goodness that prevent a person from falling into sins since it disciplines the behavior, develops positive values, and helps one eschew lies and false conduct. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "If one does not eschew lies and false conduct, Allah has no need that he should abstain from his food and his drink." {Related by Bukhari}. Since God-fearing requires behaving decently towards people, the Prophet (PBUH) has brought them together. Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Fear Allah wherever you are, do good deeds after doing bad ones, the former will wipe out the latter, and behave decently towards people". {Related by Atirmithi}.

Allah The Almighty has Favored A man with a high rank and honored him over other creatures, so through fasting, man resembles the state of the angels in terms of not eating, drinking, or breeding. Rather, they, as described by Allah, whereas it (The verse) states (What means): "Proclaim His purity night and day, never slackening." [Al-Anbiyaa`/20]. They also resemble the angels who are described as (What means): "who do not disobey Allah in what He orders them, and do whatever they are ordered to do." [At-Tahrim/6]. In addition, the fasting person who adheres to reciting the Quran during the blessed month of Ramadan is granted the highest ranks of the angels. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "The one who is proficient in the recitation of the Qur'an will be with the honorable and obedient scribes (angels) and he who recites the Qur'an and finds it difficult to recite, doing his best to recite it in the best way possible, will have two rewards." [Agreed upon].

When Allah Prescribed fasting as means of curbing desires, He, The Most Exalted, Wanted to Raise the fasting person to the highest of ranks on the social, moral, and faith level. Abstaining from food and drink means experiencing the hunger and thirst of the poor and needy, and consequently embodying brotherhood of faith. The evidence on this is that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it." [Moslim]. In addition, fasting elevates a Muslim`s faith and grants him/her the attributes of the angels. Allah The Almighty Says [What means]: "And We bestowed dignity on the children of ’Adam." [Al-`Isra`/70].

Food and sex are the shortest way the devil takes to mislead a person. However, when Allah commanded quitting these at this particular time (Ramadan), He meant to be kind to us and teach us how to resist the evil suggestions of the devil.

Fasting also helps stop man`s soul from inciting him to evil; consequently, a person doesn`t transgress the limits set by Allah and avoids the destructive sins, such as envy, arrogance, gossip, backbiting, and showing-off (of good deeds). Rather, a person draws closer to Allah through voluntary acts of worship, acts of obedience, and reciting the Quran. Unfortunately, some Muslims observe fast but harm other Muslims with gossip, backbiting, and violating their honor. The Messenger of Allah said: "There are people who fast and get nothing from their fast except hunger." [An-Nasaa`i]. and he (PBUH) said: "The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the people are safe, and the believer is the one from whom the people's lives and wealth are safe." [An-Nasaa`i].

Moreover, the messenger teaches that a Muslim shouldn`t act obscenely and should avoid argument. He, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Fasting is a protection for you, so when you are fasting, do not behave obscenely or foolishly, and if any one argues with you or abuses you, say, 'I am fasting. I am fasting.' "

Shaddad bin Aus (RAA) narrated that The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) came across a man in Al-Baqi' (in Medina) who was having himself cupped in Ramadan., and said to him: "The one who cups and the one who is being cupped have both broken their fast." [Bukhari]. These two have broken their fast by backbiting another man, so their fast is unaccepted by Allah since they have transgressed His limits and violated His prohibitions.

Amongst the morals of fasting is when the heart of the fasting person is hanging between hope and fear. Al-Ahnaf was told: "You are an old man and fasting weakens you." He replied: "I`m preparing myself for a long journey, and observing patience in obeying Allah is easier than observing patience over His punishment."

These are the morals of fasting that a Muslim should be keen on observing. We pray that Allah accept our fasting, supplication, and night prayers. Indeed, He hears and responds. All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on eating and drinking at night after making the intention? Is it necessary to renew the intention?

Eating and drinking at night, even after making the intention (for the next day), does not affect the fast, and it is not necessary to renew the intention after eating and drinking.

What is the Sharia basis of the Udhiyah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The Sharia basis of the Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is firmly established through the Quran, the Sunnah, and the Consensus (Ijma') of the Muslims:
1. Evidence from the Holy Quran
Allah the Exalted says {what means}: "And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah; for you therein is good." [Al-Hajj/36]. He also says {what means}: "So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone]" [Al-Kawthar/2]. According to the most well-known scholarly interpretations of this verse, "prayer" refers to the Eid prayer, and "sacrifice" refers to the slaughtering of the Udhiyah.
2. Evidence from the Sunnah
Al-Bara' bin 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The first thing we start with on this day of ours is to pray, then we return and sacrifice. Whoever does that has followed our Sunnah, and whoever slaughters before [the prayer], it is merely meat he has provided for his family; it is not part of the ritual sacrifice in any way" [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim].
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The Prophet ﷺ sacrificed two white rams with horns. He slaughtered them with his own hand, mentioned the name of Allah (Tasmiyah), and said the Takbir" [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim].
3. Evidence from Scholarly Consensus (Ijma')
The Muslims have reached a unanimous consensus on the Sharia basis of the Udhiyah, and no one among the scholars has disagreed with this. [Al-Sherbini, Mughni al-Muhtaj, Vol.6/P.122].And Allah the Exalted knows best.

When does the time for Udhiyah begin?

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The permissible timeframe for Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) begins on the day of Eid al-Adha—the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah—once the sun has risen and a period of time sufficient to perform two brief prayer units (Rak'ahs) and two short sermons (Khutbahs) has passed. This window remains open until the sun sets on the final day of Tashreeq, which is the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
 
Our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), said: "Every valley of Mina is a place of sacrifice, and slaughtering may be done throughout all the days of Tashreeq." (Narrated by Al-Bayhaqi and Ibn Hibban)
 
The days of Tashreeq refer to the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.
 
The most virtuous time to perform the sacrifice is immediately after concluding the Eid prayer, based on the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The first thing we do on this day of ours is to pray, then we return and offer our sacrifice. Whoever does that has acted in accordance with our Sunnah (tradition), and whoever slaughters before that, it is merely meat he has provided for his family; it has nothing to do with the ritual sacrifice." (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
 
What is meant here is an estimation of time rather than the actual performance of the prayer itself, as our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), used to offer the Eid al-Adha prayer immediately after sunrise.
 
The sacrifice is valid if performed at any time during these designated days, whether by day or by night, though slaughtering at night is considered disliked (Makruh). And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no objection to participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers, provided that the buyer's intention in purchasing is not merely to enter the competition without any need for what is bought — rather, the purchase must be genuinely intended for the item itself, and one must not pay more than the item's fair market price. This is because paying an amount above the market price would effectively be paying a fee to enter the prize draw, which would render it a form of gambling (qimār).
These prizes are, in essence, gifts that businesses offer through a random drawing (qur'ah) to those who purchase from them, as a means of encouraging sales, without the customer bearing any additional monetary cost for participation. So long as the aforementioned conditions are met, there is no objection to benefiting from the prize offered by the store, as it is considered a lawful prize from the viewpoint of Islamic Law.
It is stated in the resolutions of the "Jordanian Iftaa' Board" (Resolution No. 47), in the context of outlining the conditions for permissible prizes: "The price of the ticket [or item purchased] for the sake of the prize must not exceed its original price, so that there is no payment of money in exchange for participation in the draw." And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

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